I had it at #5, and I think depending on the day can flip-flop with my #4 (which has yet to be revealed).
I think Falling Into Infinity is an OUTSTANDING record. I loved it from the moment I heard it. The songs breathed, there was an organic feel to it all (courtesy, I believe, of Kevin Shirley), Derek Sherinian really had his style embedded in the songs and it was just so incredible with Lines in the Sand and Trial of Tears.
I saw the end of this tour...DT opening for ELP and Deep Purple in August 1998 at Jones Beach was my first DT experience. I still visually remember them on stage doing New Millennium.
In the years that followed, and the slights that came out from MP about the album, the process, and all the drama MP went through with this whole writing/recording, I felt his comments really damned this record to fans. I can't remember exactly, but 11 or 12 years ago (could be longer), I remember posting how MP's shitting on this album publicly really just built a herd of sheep against FII. I thought that was wrong. Just because MP had a difficult time and didn't like the direction, didn't mean it wasn't a good one.
In fact, I think FII is one of Dream Theater's finest albums, BECAUSE of the changes made. You Not Me is significantly better and more streamlined in comparison to You Or Me. I remember You Not Me getting a ton of radio airplay on Long Island - something I don't believe You Or Me ever would have. It was a lot easier to listen to, but still maintained DT's sense of prog and high level of musicianship. To me, FII was to Dream Theater what Empire was to Queensryche.
Another great change - lifting "Hell's Kitchen" out of "Burning My Soul." I'm sorry for fans that like the "Metropolis" style of songs, where you plop an instrumental section that has nothing to do with the actual song into the middle, and then resume the song. That's cool once in awhile, but Dream Theater, particularly as they moved into the 2000s, started doing this all the time, and that sucked to me. IMO, "Hell's Kitchen" and "Burning My Soul" were way better separated.
These were SMART decisions. And it helped achieve a few things for the band in terms of being noticed by a wider audience of listeners. Not to a huge degree, because obviously they came back with SFAM and that skyrocketed their career. But FII is a unique piece in the DT catalog that has brilliant moments. Sure, I didn't like JP doing a little writing with Desmond Child - but it made for a better song and a really good single for the band. A one-time thing that resulted in something good.
And here we are now in 2022, and low and behold, the album, while not top tier for MOST Dream Theater fans, is thought of MUCH MORE HIGHLY than it was. I have a feeling that the record will continue to be appreciated more and more as the years go on. Wish the band would have performed a suite of tracks from it this year in honor of 25 years.
I also think the leftover tracks were damn good too. Speak to Me is a gem, and should have been on there. Cover My Eyes was a fun, tune, even if it had a b-side whiff to it, etc. I'm glad I saw these two cuts live.
My top tracks: Trial of Tears, Lines in the Sand, Anna Lee, Hell's Kitchen.